


I Shouldn't Have To Say It For You To Understand

by Honeyduker



Category: Bleach
Genre: AUs could be next, F/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Where is a shiyori fic without the damn mutual pining tag, alright post tbtp is here too now, collection of one shots / anthologies, seireitei but slice of life and no C46 garbage drama, this is because shinigami live forever isn't it, what is wrong with you guys, where these two dorks live in constant denial and procrastination and all things in between, why do people like this ship, wotttt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-02-07 00:54:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12829833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeyduker/pseuds/Honeyduker
Summary: Collection of short stories that are Shinji/Hiyori centric, canvassing their century old relationship of flailing around in the twilight zone of being more than friends, but not quite lovers. All it takes is small drops of water to form an ocean, but with the luxury of having a process span centuries you don't realise how deep in you are till it's too late. Not necessarily canon-compliant.





	1. Chapter 1

" ‘kay then Hiyori, what's your type of guy huh?"

 

Hiyori choked on her cup of perfectly iced tea whilst Lisa gave her a deadpan _you-walked-right-into-this-one_ sort of look. Hiyori, still spluttering over her tea, mustered a filthy glare before looking away.   _Wow,_ on top of Lisa asking invasive questions every time the conversation turned to guys (inevitable with Mashiro in the party), she really wished Lisa didn't have to read those lewd books in public like that, during the busy lunch hour no less.

 

"I don't have a type, they're all stupid fuckin’ baldies!!"  Hiyori said as she downed the last of her tea and slammed the cup onto the wooden table with a thud.

 

Mashiro chose this moment to awaken from her food-coma nap and rose from the tatami, hair messy, eyes squinted. "Kensei is stuuuupid”, mumbled the half-asleep vice captain, "but I still think he's okay sometimes when he buys me sweets after patrol… he also has hair… some."

 

"Wow, literally nobody asked,” said Hiyori, visibly seething. “Way to start a conversation, conk out halfway through, and wake back up to prolong my suffering. ‘Sides, Mashiro, ya’ totally getting bribed.”

 

How these two never tired of talking about guys was unfathomable to Seireitei’s number one most tiny and irate vice-captain. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Mashiro had an interest in any guy that bought her snacks, and that then  overflowed into every single one of their conversations.

 

Lisa adjusted her glasses and closed her totally-not-a-porno novel with a crisp snap. "Are guys all so bald, Hiyori? I don't know about you, but I think your new captain at the very least has hair… I mean, he could do a better job washing it, but- ”

 

Flimsy take-away bamboo chopsticks snapping in two, Hiyori simultaneously felt an aneurysm pop at the mention of this new inconvenience in her life. Hah, _Inconvenience_ was an understatement, sometimes Hiyori would take one look at that slouched-over beanpole and wish Squad Eleven would run rampant in the squad twelve barracks and flatten the place. “Listen, if you spent even five minutes with Kisuke, you’d know that he’s-”

 

"Kinda hot, actually," Mashiro interjected nonchalantly, mouth opening wide to yawn.

 

"What the fuck!!"

 

Hiyori thought, for what must have been the hundredth time that lunch break, that after more than a century of companionship it was finally time for her to reconsider her choice of friends. Kisuke and the word ‘hot’ in the same sentence? This was too much.

 

Lisa sighed. "Okay, okay, let’s not talk about the new captain, he’s taboo. Taboo… and I kind of do agree with Mashiro, he’s pretty handsome though. Ooh, that kinda makes him more attractive, like you know the story I’m reading now is about a noble princess who falls for an outcas-”

 

“AAARGH fuck don’t talk about your book or Kisuke in public!” Hiyori leant over the table and made to slap the book out of Lisa’s hands. She was like a tiny little furnace in the middle of the bustling establishment, metaphorically burning a hole into her sakura-patterned zabuton with her tiny little rage.

 

“Alright no more Kisuke. Then hoooow about,” Lisa licked her lips and paused deliberately, a smirk forming on her perfect features.

 

“Stop-” Hiyori knew that look on her face, and her gut told her what was coming before her ears even heard the words.

 

“HOW ABOUT SHINJJJIII!!” hollered Mashiro, raising a chopstick with three oddly coloured dango impaled on the end up into the air. “YA NUMBER ONE BALDY!”

 

Hiyori thought she would end this conversation once and for all. “I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again. Shinji isn’t my number one _anything,_ and he’s the most-”

 

“-intelligent, handsome captain Seireitei has ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on," a smooth deep voice finished Hiyori's sentence.

 

Hirako Shinji sauntered into the bustling teashop and flopped into the seat next to Hiyori with a flourish of his Haori. "Thanks, brat, it's nice to see you too."

 

"I wasn’t gonna say that, ya bald ass twit,” yelled Hiyori, as this was basically her knee-jerk reaction every time she saw the Fifth Squad captain. Not wanting to deal with Shinji making fun of her for an entire lunchtime, Hiyori made to leave the buzzing establishment. Hiyori had decided quite some time ago she was probably allergic to this guy, sometimes he made her so mad her entire body felt like it was on fire, her heart beat irregularly fast and she couldn’t breathe. That just made her madder.

 

"Woah woah, where ya going girl, I just got here and I haven't even eaten yet", said Shinji as he tugged gently on Hiyori's wrist, pulling her back down onto her sakura-patterned zabuton.

 

All too aware of the onlookers staring in their general direction, and the searing heat of Shinji's calloused palm against her wrist, Hiyori's face burned. “WHO SAID I HAD TO LUNCH WITH YOU, ASSHOLE?”

 

If Urahara Kisuke was the latest inconvenience in Hiyori’s life, then Hirako Shinji could be classified as _the_ single oldest and most perennial one. The urge to shunpo the hell outta here was growing, what with the appearance of this very old and perennial nuisance. The possibility of the torrid conversation that Lisa and Mashiro continuing was not a pleasant one to Hiyori to boot.

 

Mashiro's whining voice cut into Hiyori’s mutinous thoughts. "Hiyorinnn, staaay, it's been so long since the three of us have had a lunch break together!"

 

.

Hiyori looked at Mashiro's pouting form, morosely stabbing at the melting blocks of ice in her cup, and sighed. _What a drama queen._ Mashiro stole a glance at Hiyori in turn and fought back a wry smile. Hiyori was a massive softie after all, and Mashiro knew it. More importantly, Mashiro inwardly thought, she doesn’t hate spending time with Shinji as much as she likes to tell everyone she does. Easy game easy life.

 

"Aight fine! But just because its been a while since we've had lunch together", Hiyori said defensively. Shinji quickly let go of her wrist at this point and Hiyori tucked her arm into the sleeve of her shihakushou, rubbing it with her other hand. Allergies, for real.

 

"Mad invite by the way, guys", yawned Shinji after pouring some tea from the jug straight into Hiyori's cup and casually downing it in one go.

 

“Get your own cup, ya lazy fuck!” Hiyori kicked Shinji under the table, causing Shinji to splutter tea down his chin.

 

Lisa rolled her eyes at Shinji’s complaint. She had gone back to reading again, and didn’t even bother looking up from the pages of her novel. "We’re meeting at the Izakaya tonight anyway, I thought? Heard your squad was swamped with admin paperwork this week, so you're skiving again aren'tcha?"

 

"Shinjiiiiiiii you shouldn't skip work!" whined Mashiro, as she flailed her half-eaten skewer of dango in the air. Shinji leaned away from the dangerous article, hoping to keep his eyes intact, and his body made contact with Hiyori’s. Hiyori stiffened, then elbowed him in the ribs, hard.

 

"Hey, I just came to get some food.”  Shinji wheezed. “A captain's gotta eat."

 

"Who asked you to come specifically here then?" Hiyori said bitterly, not looking in Shinji’s direction.

 

"I heard you shout my name, so I looked around for the source and that's how I saw you lot sittin' here, that's all."

 

“What are you, a fuckin’ bat?”

 

"We were talking about who Hiyorin's type was, and you came and interrupted!" whined Mashiro.

 

"Oh?" The corners of Shinji's mouth twitched upwards into a smirk.

 

_Fuck my life,_ seethed Hiyori.

 

“What is your type?” asked Shinji, eyebrows raised high, long fingers deftly twirling a chopstick. The fidgeting pissed Hiyori off, and she flicked her own broken sticks at Shinji to get him to stop. Shinji yelped as bits of bamboo hit him in the face.

 

“I have decided,” Hiyori said slowly while throwing more bits of bamboo at Shinji, hoping it got stuck in his long silky hair, “that whatever it is, it fuckin’ ain’t blondes ‘coz they’re all bald.”

 

Shinji snorted, and was about to point out that firstly her sentence made little sense and secondly, she needed to look in a mirror, but his order of tsukemen finally arrived and he was interrupted. After thanking the waiter, Shinji decided he was a bit too hungry to put up with Hiyori attempting to impale him with the next utensil she got her little hands on.

 

So, Shinji dug in hungrily while stealing tea from Hiyori's cup the entire time. Lisa and Mashiro chattered on shamelessly about the hot captains of Seireitei while Hiyori moodily glared at all three people in her company, lamenting her choice of friends. In particular, this lanky blond freak who would probably make a better living featuring in hair product advertisements.

 

He looked tired, Hiyori observed, frowning. Slacking off my ass, he’s always trying to look so fly, what an asshole. Hiyori caught herself quickly, realising she was probably paying more attention than the normal amount to Mr. Hirako _everyone-knows-I-have-a-hundred-first-loves_ Shinji. Tch. Over their centuries of friendship, Hiyori hadn’t felt as conflicted or given as much brain space to this moron as she did lately, and with a mix of irritation and horror she realised that this _was_ the normal amount of attention she’d been paying him, for quite a while now. Was she going truly insane after Hikifune-taichou departed and Kisuke joined the squad? Damn blondes, all so bald, every single one of them.

 

"… Shinjiiiii is handsome though, right, Lisa?" Mashiro blinked owlishly at Shinji, the mention of Shinji’s name cutting through Hiyori’s thoughts.

 

"Uhh, objectively, yes. I think according to the Gotei's sexiest men poll this issue of Seireitei Quarterly, he ranks second or third, just behind Shunsui … and that  Kuchiki prince. No, not the angry little one, the older one." Lisa was now half listening, half reading her adult fiction as Mashiro chattered on. Shinji choked a little on his tsukemen and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

 

Now this kicked the momentarily retrospective Hiyori back into gear. "Mashiro ya blind?!" said Hiyori incredulously.  “This guy is almost on Kisuke’s level in rocking eyebags lookin’ like a raccoon, he’s slackin’ off so hard during the day he’s probably not sleeping at night hah!”

 

"Hey excuse you, apparently I'm not bad, according to the polls."

 

"What kind of a shitty unreliable poll is that even?" Hiyori's eyes were now as wide as the plates on their table. “I don’t get how this baldy could make the list!”

 

“Are you sure you’re not the one who’s blind, Hiyori?” laughed Mashiro. “What rank is this dweeb anyway?”

 

“Somewhere in the top ten with Kensei, that’s for sure." Lisa replied without even double-checking the poll list.

 

"Shinjiiiii you're practically famous here then?" said Mashiro, laughing.

 

"Well I am a captain, however you cut it,” winked Shinji. “And this haori must bring out the colour of my eyes or something.”

 

Hiyori rolled her eyes disbelievingly, then thunked her head onto the wooden table.

 

"I wonder if there is a cutest girl poll! Maybe Lisa can make it into the top ten… maybe Hiyorin and I can too… ahahah," mused Mashiro in that idyllic dreamlike manner only someone that had their head in the clouds at least half the time can do.

 

"What's the point though- honestly-," said Shinji between mouthfuls of food and furrowed eyebrows, "If the whole of Seireitei votes you in to the top ten, but the one person in this world you actually care about doesn't get it?"

 

Hiyori turned her head slightly towards Shinji and blinked.

 

Lisa smiled slyly. "Maybe, Shinji, they are just inexperienced then and don’t fully understand the concept of sexual attraction to someone. Eh I think if there is  _such a person_ , you should probably just step up your game and just show them."

 

Shinji choked on his lunch for the second time that day. “I wasn't actually talking about – ahehm.” Suddenly, Shinji found himself in the middle of a staring competition with the “550 ryo unagi lunch set” poster stuck on the wall, resolutely refusing to direct his gaze elsewhere, _especially_ towards the nearest Squad Twelve gremlin next to him. “Damn, Lisa that was below the belt?”

 

"At the rate you're going I don't think there's anything down there anyway," retorted Lisa savagely, chancing a furtive glance at Hiyori who had gone oddly quiet in her seat.

 

Hiyori's mind was racing a mile per minute. She wondered if Shinji had someone he really liked? Wait – what if he started seriously seeing her? Then he probably wouldn't have spare time to come and see Hiyori anymore outside of Gotei matters, then whose bald steppable face would she kick now? Well that would make life kinda boring, wouldn’t it? Shit…

 

Lisa and Mashiro’s impish smiles and the covert glances they shot at each other were not lost on Shinji, who rolled his eyes and yawned. He would humour them today then, lest Lisa keep making disparaging insinuations about his masculinity.

 

Shinji stood up with a grunt and stretched. “Well I’ve eaten now, so I should guess I should head back soon.”

 

“Un…” mumbled Hiyori in assent.

 

Lisa continued reading her book in silence while Mashiro shoved sad small bits of leftover dango into her mouth.

 

“Hiyoriii?” Shinji said, after a pause. “Your favourite takoyaki at Ahoya is doing a 2-for-1 promotion today so I was gonna get some, but I can’t finish that much so you gotta come help me out. We still got a bit of time.”

 

“Why. Do I have to do as you say, baldy?” Hiyori kicked the back of Shinji’s knees, causing him to jerk forward violently and bang his leg on the low table. Tea spilled.

 

“Ow, ya brat. I’m givin’ ya an offer for free takoyaki, because I feel like some too. Win-win, you gonna say no?” Shinji gave Hiyori a lazy smirk, but Hiyori didn’t miss that piercing look in his eye that sometimes made her feel like Shinji saw right through her.

 

“Fine. But You. Owe. Me.”

  
“Wow excuse, I owe you for buying you takoyaki? Miss Sarugaki, this is a bit too much,” deadpanned Shinji.  It was not lost on Mashiro or Lisa that he could have asked just about anyone else to do the 2-for-1, but the fact that Shinji was hopelessly soft when it came to Sarugaki Hiyori was like, also one of Seireitei’s worst kept secrets. “Move it then, brat, time is of the essence.”

 

Hiyori and Shinji pooled their lunch money on the table in an assortment of notes and coins. The short-and-tall pair shuffled out of the teahouse with Lisa adjusting her glasses ominously behind their backs, and Mashiro whining about Hiyori accusing _her_ of getting bribed. Wow, everyone could tell Hiyori’s eyes were sparkling with daydreams of piping hot Ahoya Takoyaki filled with double helpings of spring onion and sauce the moment Shinji said “2-for-1”. Oh _, come on._

 

Hiyori walked down the cobbled path of Seireitei, small steps keeping up with Shinji’s lazy long strides. She inwardly cursed herself at being so easily baited at the promise of delicious Ahoya takoyaki, when merely minutes before she was questioning whether she was still sane when she hung around the man currently walking next to her. Well this was fuckin’ stupid, but free takoyaki that Shinji has to pay for out of pocket on the other hand…

 

“What’s up silly, you’re too quiet for a brat on her way to free takoyaki with Seireitei’s hottest captain.”

 

Hiyori scrunched her nose, making to kick Shinji behind the knees again, but the captain had apparently remembered how to dodge for once. “Was- was what you said before true?”

 

“What did I say before?” Shinji furrowed his brow and scanned the crowd ahead, nonplussed.

 

“That- that there was no point in topping the Gotei polls if the one person in the world you cared about didn’t see it.”

 

Oh _that._

“Guess so, yeah?”

 

“Do you have someone like that…?”

 

Shinji almost missed a step as he looked down at the girl next to him.

 

“Mmn… I guess so.”

 

“O.” Hiyori stopped walking.

 

Shinji turned to look at her.

 

“Do… do you think they’ll get it, eventually…?” asked Hiyori, looking kind of lost.

 

“Who knows?” shrugged Shinji. “Doubt it.”

 

“What’s with that attitude, baldy? If- if you liked someone, wouldn’t you want ‘em to like you back?”

 

“As long as they’re by my side, I’m not fussed.” Shinji smiled at Hiyori and bit his lip. Hiyori felt too warm.

 

Shinji scoffed. “Thought you said everyone must be blind anyway to put me in the polls. Brat.”

 

“Yeah, I meant that one, baldy. I think Seireitei should start offering free eye checks to poll voters.” Hiyori kicked up some dirt on the dusty street. “Maybe… Maybe one day you’ll leave too, like Hikifune-taichou.”

 

“Huh what? What brought this on all of a sudden?”

 

“Everyone I care about around me eventually leaves.” Hiyori’s shoulders drooped a little. “We Shinigami can pretty much live forever, but that just makes me feel the fleeting transience of all things in life on an even sharper level. Nothing is forever.”

 

Shinji stared. _Holy…_ was this the soft side of Hiyori’s tsundere self making an appearance? He could hardly remember the last time this happened, as this girl put up walls higher than the Sekkiseki gates of this city. Hiyori feeling this way made Shinji feel a sudden stab of physical pain, frustration and helplessness all at once. Deftly tugging Hiyori’s wrist towards him into a hug, Shinji held her against him and ran his fingers lightly through her hair.

 

“What’re ya doing, lemme go!!” Hiyori squirmed but Shinji held her tighter.

 

“I’ll always be here, Hiyori. I won’t leave.”

 

“What – even when the person that you care about likes you back?” retorted Hiyori, with no real heat in her voice.

 

“Oh what, ya jealous, Hiyori?” Shinji quipped, half amused.

 

“Answer me”, Hiyori demanded, her voice muffled into Shinji’s shoulder.

 

“I promise. Do you wanna bet? I’ll bet you my life – ”

 

“Worthless.”

 

“Ouch. My life, and Ahoya takoyaki –”

 

“Much better.”

 

“– until the end of time –”

 

“That’s too long-”

 

Shinji sighed a sigh of long suffering. “Listen up you lil’ brat, you were complaining about things not lasting forever and I’m trying to prove that you’re wrong – ”

 

“Okay, prove it if you can then, dumbass.” Hiyori fisted her hands into the folds of Shinji’s haori and held on tightly. “Don’t go back on your word.”

 

“I won’t, silly. I promise.” At this, Shinji picked Hiyori up and slung her over his shoulder.

 

Hiyori felt the world tip upside down under her feet. “What the heck’re you doing, hage Shinji!?!!”

 

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re running outta time and your short little legs are too slow, so we’re gonna make a dash to Ahoya before lunch break is over.”

 

“Put me doooown!!!” Hiyori howled. “What am I, a sack of rice?”

 

 

Shinji pretended not to hear her complaints. “Hey Hiyori, sooo about that bet we just made, I still haven’t lost and takoyaki was on the table so maybe you should buy this round.” Shinji said, as Hiyori clung to Shinji’s billowing haori – arms – waist – hair – _anything_ – so as to not fall off.

 

“Fuck off, baldy, I’m – argh – gonna – ack – kill – you!”

 

“I got you, relax! Quit pullin’ my hair!” Shinji laughed and he adjusted Hiyori so she was now settled comfortably between his arms, and his chest.

 

“SO YOU DO FUCKIN’ KNOW HOW TO CARRY PEOPLE PROPERLY!” Hiyori howled again. “QUIT MESSIN’ WITH MEEEEEE.”

 

Onlookers barely batted an eye at the sight of the Fifth Squad captain running down the street with the vice-captain of Squad Twelve in tow, yelling like she was about to be taken to the gallows rather than a free helping of Seireitei’s best takoyaki . They’ve seen it a thousand times before, will likely see it a thousand times again.

 

*

 

Hours later after a short scuffle with Shinji and more than half a dozen takoyaki comfortably settled in her stomach, Hiyori lounged contentedly at her desk back in the Twelfth Squad barracks.

 

The day’s events washed over her with a wave of drowsiness, and she inadvertently thought of Hirako _HEY-IT’S-YA-NUMBER-ONE-BALDY_ Shinji. _Literally nobody asked, Mashiro_ , Hiyori muttered to no one in particular.

 

Hiyori thought of Shinji and his calloused hands on her wrist, deep voice calling her name, long fingers running through her hair…

 

_"What kind of a shitty unreliable poll is that!... I don’t get how this baldy could make it onto the list!”_ Hiyori had yelled.

Oh, oh, _oh…_

 

Audibly groaning, Hiyori thunked her forehead onto her desk. Actual insanity was coming for her, Hiyori knew it. The shoji door of the squad office slid open, to which Urahara poked his head through the gap.

 

“Sarugaki-san, you can clock out now, it’s getting late. Aren’t we catching up with Hirako-taichou and the others at the Izakaya tonight?”

 

“Mnrhh” grumbled Hiyori in response.  

 

“That reminds me, Yoruichi-san left the latest issue of the Seireitei quarterly magazine here, she said you might want to see-”

 

“I don’t want to see anything, especially not that garbage poll!” hollered Hiyori as she leapt up from her desk to shove her captain out of the office.

 

Blonde haired captains, bald as fuck, the whole lot of ‘em.


	2. Chapter 2

_I know it's hard_  
_But I can still hear it beating_  
_So if you flash your heart_  
_I won't mistreat it_

_Love Lost - The Temper Trap_

/

It was 3:00 am. Moonlight filtered in through the double hung windows of Hiyori’s unlit bedroom, the steely moonbeams not giving away a thing about how fucking _hot_ it was. Cicadas chirped outside incessantly, and Hiyori had kicked off her blanket, a loose hand tugging at the neck of her tank top.

She had given up falling asleep. It had been an unusually hot past few days in Karakura town this summer, and the Vizard hideout was slow to heat up but also retained warmth like an oven.

It also didn’t help that just when she was about to nod off, she felt Shinji’s reiatsu flicker briefly, _once_ , somewhere out to the west, and then – nothing. He was on sentry duty tonight, and Hiyori didn’t envy him in this sweltering weather. She didn’t really see the point of the sentry duty anyway, besides to give Hachi less work if the barrier got damaged by some stray hollow, but _eh,_ some nights it was nice to be outside alone under the blanket of stars. It’s just, tonight was not one of those nights.

The Vizards (and the lot over at Kisuke’s two-bit shop) had at one point informally agreed to use two sharp, brief flares of reiatsu as a signal to call for reinforcements in the case of too many hollows being in the area or any other sort of emergency situation – it was just enough to get attention from those familiar with the reiatsu signature, but not enough to attract any other unwanted company –  but as time went on the gesture was cheapened because Shinji, their supposed _leader,_ decided to use it to call for back up to carry groceries when he was rostered for grocery duty, or when he didn’t bring enough money on him to buy a jazz cd.

The only one these days who still responded to his calls was, well, Hiyori. _‘I’m gonna go and fucking kill him,_ ’ she would say every time before rolling up her sleeves and flash stepping out of the warehouse. The rest of the Vizard crew would shake their heads, and massage the bridges of their nose. It had become a Hiyori and Shinji _thing_ , and no one else was going to start joining in on that more-than-a-century-old mess.

Mashiro had started calling it a ‘booty call’ when Hiyori was out of earshot, and Lisa had at one point told Shinji if he was going to do that in front of everyone he may as well do the rest of it too. Shinji raised his eyebrows. ‘Do _what,_ Lisa,’ he had challenged lightly, and Lisa viciously jabbed a finger at the novel in her hands in response. Kensei was more horrified at Lisa’s suggestion than Shinji was amused. ‘Please no,’ Kensei had hissed through the smoke from the frying pan, spatula in hand, ‘Shut the fuck up, all of you.’

/

 Hiyori sat up and looked outside. The air was still, and not a leaf rustled on the trees.

_Hage Shinji better not actually be fucking dead, what a joke._

She sensed no other presence nearby either, and decided that the more logical and likely explanation was that Shinji was just being a dumbass, as usual.

It was too hot to go back to sleep, and Hiyori remembered there was a Garigari-kun ice block left in the fridge from their last grocery run plus the floor fan that Love had brought back from some old op-shop he frequented waiting for her downstairs.

She padded downstairs into the main lounge room, flicked the fan on, and headed into the kitchen to retrieve the Garigari-kun, hoping no one else had eaten it.

 _Aha,_ Hiyori smirked triumphantly when she found it hiding behind the bag of frozen peas. She swiftly tore off the wrapper and tossed it into the bin next to the kitchen sink, and took a bite. That cool soda-flavoured crunch was heavenly every time.

Humming a quiet tune under her breath, Hiyori returned to the lounge, only to find a familiar silhouette sitting in her intended spot before the fan, lounging leisurely with long legs stretched out to the side. 

‘Hage Shinji!’ Hiyori whispered loudly. ‘That’s my spot, I sat there first!’

Shinji looked up at her. ‘Did not,’ he replied, not missing a beat.

‘Did too.’

Shinji tried not to grin too visibly, and bit his lip instead. ‘Liar. You always sit down here with your pink cushion.’ He gestured to a fine striped zabuton on the couch. ‘I rest my case.’

‘Yeah well – maybe I didn’t feel like sitting on it today ‘cause it’s so hot,’ she retorted, not meeting his eyes.

Shinji started at her disbelievingly, full-on wolfish grin now making it onto his handsome features. ‘Why are you awake anyway?’

‘Like I said, it’s hot, you idiot. And why did you fucking spike your reiatsu?’

‘Did I wake you?’ Shinji asked, flicking his bangs out of his eyes. ‘Whoops.’

Hiyori thought he did not sound sorry in the least.

‘I was kinda bored.’

‘You fuck, you did it because you were _bored?_ ’ Hiyori asked incredulously.

‘Yah. Almost bought some takoyaki while I was at it too; thought I’d get you to come out.  But then I decided it was too hot and couldn’t be bothered, so I came back here. Aww, you worried?’

‘Was hoping you died. _Move_ , Hage Shinji.’ Hiyori demanded with a wave of her ice block.

She waited expectantly with furrowed eyebrows, running a hand through her loose hair, tousling it. Her raised arm caused her tank top to ride up her midriff ever so slightly, revealing an expanse of smooth pale skin, dusted with silvery light from the cloudless sky outside.

Shinji swore softly under his breath and looked up at the ceiling.

Hiyori’s eyebrow twitched. ‘Hage Shinji, you have five seconds to move – four – _three._ ’

 Shinji sighed, and hooked two long fingers over his tie knot and tugged, loosening the loop.

Hiyori’s mouth went dry. She could hear the _schwwwip_ from the friction of fabric in the silence, and then the sound of Shinji now deftly unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt.

‘We have no air-con, I’m hot too.’ Shinji complained. ‘Hiyori. Your ice-block, it’s meltin’. I want.’ Shinji beckoned Hiyori to come closer with a flick of his wrist.

‘You can have some if you fuck off,’ Hiyori said, licking the base of the ice block to catch the dripping ice.

‘Make me,’ Shinji laughed, voice low.

Hiyori stalked up to him, and poked him in the ribs, _hard,_ with her bare foot. Shinji wouldn’t budge.

Instead, he made to chomp at her ice-block that hovered dangerously close to his face, and she had to pull it out of his reach before shoving him again with the bottom half of her weight pressed against his side.

‘You’re lucky it’s so late I can’t beat the shit out of ya,’ Hiyori threatened mutinously between nibble-licks of her ice-block. She was beyond annoyed that Shinji was hogging the fan, while the temperature of this room felt even hotter than upstairs. That wasn’t how temperatures were meant to work.

‘Let’s be real here Sarugaki-san, you just don’t want to deal with Kensei and Love raging at you at –’ Shinji leaned backwards and tilted his head to look at the clock on the wall, ‘3:17 in the morning.’ 

‘Suit yourself,’ Hiyori growled, and she stood over Shinji’s now crossed legs for the barest of seconds before settling herself in his lap. ‘Fan’s mine.’

‘What are you, a cat?’ Shinji asked, exhaling loudly.

‘If it fits, I sits.’ Hiyori smirked unapologetically, molten feline eyes shining with stars.

‘Are you sure this is the best way to cool down, because how I see it we’re both going to be pretty hot sitting like this,’ Shinji deadpanned, tugging at his collar to cool himself off.

‘Sure it is,’ Hiyori replied lightly, enjoying the fan and her late night snack. The fan blew her soft flaxen hair in Shinji’s face, and he ran his fingers through her scalp in an attempt to stop the unruly locks from assaulting him.

She smelled of roast tea, garigari-kun and shampoo. Shinji gave up trying to smooth her hair, instead burying his face into the crook of her neck, earning a startled jolt from Hiyori.

‘What the fuck, Hage Shinji?!’

‘You’re blocking most of the fan, two can play at this game.’ He coiled his arms around her, and Hiyori noticed his shirt sleeves were half rolled-up at this point.  ‘If I have to suffer the heat _plus_ you using me as a zabuton, you aren’t going to get off easy, girl.’

Hiyori swallowed. ‘You’re only hot because – because you’re wearing so much, are you stupid? Why do I have to suffer because you have to look like a fucking dandy in 30-something degree weather?’

Swivelling around best she could in his arms, she turned to face him, free hand coming up to pick at the next unopened button of his shirt.

Their faces were so close their noses almost touched. Hiyori could count the lashes on Shinji’s eyes, and taste the bated breath that hung in the slither of space between them.

Shinji slowly released his hold around her waist, and used one of his hands to gently pry away her fingers currently hooked in the base of his collar, whilst using the other to wrap around Hiyori’s hand currently gripping the last of her ice-block.

He tilted his head, and took the last chunk of Garigari-kun into his mouth. ‘Do ya even know how to eat an ice block?’ he murmured huskily. ‘You better not have dripped that onto my shirt.’

Hiyori swallowed and leaned back as if burned, putting the ice-block paddle between her teeth so she could have both arms propped behind her to support her weight.

‘Sheef.’

‘I’m no thief, yer just slow. Ice _melts,_ ya know.’ He looked at her cheekily, with both tender softness and unyielding heat in his gaze.

Hiyori swallowed thickly, heart hammering in her ribcage. She cleared her throat defensively, pulling the paddle out of her mouth again to retort, but her breath and voice caught in her throat when Shinji leaned in close, the pad of his thumb shakily tracing the side of her face, the rest of his hand gently cupping the back of her head.

Their noses touched for the briefest of moments, and Hiyori felt Shinji dart his tongue out to lick the corner of her lip. Gentle heat, the coolness of his tongue piercing, words unspoken, questions unasked – Hiyori felt it all with such acute precision that the ever-latent decathexis in her roared at her to pull back, to flee – but the rest of her was filled with such contentment it positively purred. She leaned in closer.

A heady thrumming roared within her, searing need bubbling from just below her navel, shooting between her legs. She moaned, and that was when Shinji pulled back, eyes wide.

A heartbeat of silence, then –

‘You had some Garigari-kun on your face,’ Shinji said weakly, managing a wry smirk. ‘I’ll show you how it’s done next time ya noob, if only you’d saved one for me. So greedy.’ He cleared his throat, and used his thumb to gently swipe Hiyori’s lower lip.

‘ _I’m_ greedy?’ Hiyori fired back hotly, freckled cheeks dusted pink. ‘You just – just – licked – _stole_ Garigari-kun off my lips.’

Shinji licked his own thin lips, and shot her a _yeah-maybe-I-did-so-what-of-it_ look. ‘Alright, maybe I am pretty greedy too,’ he whispered in her ear.

Hiyori looked away and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Go the fuck to sleep, Hage Shinji.’

His familiar, musky scent enveloped her and every time she breathed, the aching between her thighs only intensified. Her mind felt fuzzy. She needed to get away from this ridiculously hot room, and this ridiculously ho – horrible man. That was how it usually worked.

Shinji looked down at Hiyori, still in his lap, resolutely avoiding making eye contact with him.

‘Put your arms around me, Hiyori,’ he said into the shell of her ear.

‘No,’ Hiyori replied stubbornly.

‘You gonna get off me then, so I can move?’

Shinji internally lamented how hard she was making his – life.

Hiyori glared at him.

Shinji sighed. He manually pulled Hiyori’s arms into a loop around his neck, and felt her relax against him, smooth forearms fastening into a proper hold, her nose burying into the crook of his neck.

He held her against him and stood up carefully, then silently padded up the stairs.

Pivoting into Hiyori’s bedroom, he deposited her abruptly onto her bed, then put a finger to his lips, reminding her to stay quiet.

‘Sleep, did you forget you’re on duty to take out the trash at 8:00am tomorrow? Dummy.’ Shinji flicked Hiyori’s nose gently.

‘Fuuuuck,’ Hiyori groaned. ‘It’s your fault we’re up so late, Hage Shinji.’

Shinji gently shoved her so she fell backwards onto her pillow with a soft _fwump_ , then turned to leave. ‘Night, ya noblet.’  

She had no idea how much willpower it took him to leave her room.

/

Hiyori lay in bed, still unable to fall asleep. She could hear Shinji bustling around in the bathroom, the shower nozzle being flicked on and off, then the sound of someone conscientiously brushing their teeth.

After what felt like an eternity, she could make out Shinji padding past the open door of her bedroom towards his own quarters.

He had showered, thin towel over his wet hair, shirt slung over his shoulder, shoulders bare. He was in loose boxer briefs, and Hiyori tore her gaze away from his retreating figure.

The scorching temperature in this building was nigh uninhabitable. Hiyori swore she would get an air conditioner installed if it was the last thing she did living in this hellhole in the human world.

Yeah, that was _definitely_ what she needed right now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I posted this before I went to bed and then I swear I wrote end notes but nope??
> 
> Anyway this scene came into my head when I was meant to be working on another random Shiyori plot I had in my mind (a convoluted multi-chapter one) but then I procrastinated and got lost on the way and then I thought I'd write this part as a single chapter. 
> 
> Massive shout out to everyone who has been reading and commenting, whitenoise, trooper, uta-chan, paws, hollowmashiro, orchid, deerdryad, secret commenter (ಠᗜಠ) thanks guys, as much as i write for myself, writing knowing it might amuse you guys makes it even better 
> 
> PS. Rip garigari-kun.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know where I'm going with this, but once in a blue moon I'll have some HiraHiyo to write. There are like ... five people in this fandom or something, shout out to Uta-chan for reading plus editing my writing and kicking my ass. :D I love the TBTP arc, so perhaps I will write more around this timeline, but maybe I'll put AU one-shots in here too. That said, no idea when I'll update again... where is this fandom at! // Title of the fic is derived from "Who I Am" by Maroon 5. //


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